This week was all about equipment, stats, and laying more groundwork for future systems. I didn’t get nearly as much equipment added as I wanted, but the foundation is in a much better place. The plan is to finish up weapons this coming week and then start digging into guilds.
Pet system brainstorming
There was also some early brainstorming around pets, but nothing is locked in yet. A few ideas on the table:
- Pet homes: A more passive, housing-style system for your companions.
- Pet exploration: Pets exploring tunnels/burrows and farming mystical plants that yield a range of crafting resources.
- Pet battles: A more active system that could include pet equipment and progression.
I’m still very up in the air on which direction to commit to, so I’ll keep iterating on designs before anything becomes official.
New skill boost tools
To make skilling feel more meaningful, new tool types were added that boost skill speeds:
- New tools:
- Rake - Farming speed boost
- Sickle - Gathering speed boost
- Spears - Hunting speed boost
Components
- Mithril tier components:
- Mithril Pickaxe Head
- Mithril Hatchet Head
- Spearhead components:
- Copper Spearhead
- Bronze Spearhead
- Iron Spearhead
- Steel Spearhead
- Mithril Spearhead
- Rake head components:
- Copper Rake Head
- Bronze Rake Head
- Iron Rake Head
- Steel Rake Head
- Mithril Rake Head
- Curved blade components (Sickle):
- Copper Curved Blade
- Bronze Curved Blade
- Iron Curved Blade
- Steel Curved Blade
- Mithril Curved Blade
- New handles:
- Cherry Handle - Mithril tier, Woodworking level 32
Tool bonuses
(Values and requirements are subject to change as balance continues.)
- Spears (Hunting speed):
- Copper Spear - +3%, level 1
- Bronze Spear - +8%, level 10
- Iron Spear - +15%, level 20
- Steel Spear - +25%, level 30
- Mithril Spear - +32%, level 40
- Rakes (Farming speed):
- Copper Rake - +3%, level 1
- Bronze Rake - +8%, level 10
- Iron Rake - +15%, level 20
- Steel Rake - +25%, level 30
- Mithril Rake - +32%, level 40
- Sickles (Gathering speed):
- Copper Sickle - +3%, level 1
- Bronze Sickle - +8%, level 10
- Iron Sickle - +15%, level 20
- Steel Sickle - +25%, level 30
- Mithril Sickle - +32%, level 40
Combat & crafting balance updates
- Hunting: Level requirements have been rebalanced to better match progression.
- Blacksmithing: New components added for each tier:
- Plates
- Rivets
Note: Equipment stats are still a work in progress and will be tuned over time.
New armorsmithing recipes (Metal armor)
- Mithril: Vambraces, Platelegs, Sabatons, Gauntlets, Chestplate
- Dark Iron: Helmet, Chestplate, Platelegs, Gauntlets, Sabatons
- Fel Iron: Helmet, Gauntlets, Chestplate, Platelegs, Sabatons
- Sargionite: Helmet, Gauntlets, Chestplate, Platelegs, Sabatons
- Adamantite: Helmet, Gauntlets, Platelegs, Chestplate, Sabatons
- Draenium: Helmet, Gauntlets, Chestplate, Platelegs, Sabatons
- Voidstone: Helmet, Gauntlets, Platelegs, Chestplate, Sabatons
- Titanium: Helmet, Gauntlets, Platelegs, Chestplate, Sabatons
- Elementium: Helmet, Gauntlets, Platelegs, Chestplate, Sabatons
- Nethersteel: Helmet, Gauntlets, Chestplate, Platelegs, Sabatons
- Eternium: Helmet, Gauntlets, Chestplate, Platelegs, Sabatons
New leatherworking recipes (Leather armor)
- Foxhide: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Wolfpelt: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Bearhide: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Elkhide: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Moosehide: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Direwolf: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Cavebear: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
- Unicorn Leather: Coif, Chestplate, Plate Legs, Vambraces, Boots
New tailoring recipes (Cloth armor)
- Adept: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
- Expert: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
- Artisan: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
- Master: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
- Grandmaster: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
- Ascendant: Hood, Robe, Leggings, Gloves, Boots
New gathering resources & weaving materials
New plants and fibers
- Hollowstem: Hollowstem Floss
- Gloomroot: Gloomroot Fiber
- Nightweave: Nightweave Fiber
- Eldervine: Eldervine Fiber
- Aether Bloom: Aether Fiber
- Cloudroot: Cloudroot Fiber
New weaving threads
- Hollowstem Thread
- Gloomroot Thread
- Nightweave Thread
- Eldertwine Thread
- Aether Thread
- Cloudroot Thread
New weaving cloth
- Hollowstem Cloth
- Gloomroot Cloth
- Nightweave Cloth
- Eldertwine Cloth
- Aether Cloth
- Cloudroot Cloth
Leatherworking components & new animal resources
New leatherworking components
- Leather Lacing
- Sheepskin Bindings
- Boar Hide Lacings
- Alpaca Sinew Cord
- Cashmere Leather Ties
- Angora Leather Bands
- Bison Tendon Lacing
New animal resources (Hunting)
- Sheepskin (hide)
- Alpaca Skin (hide)
- Cashmere Goat Hide
- Angora Hide
- Bison Hide
New leathers (Tanning)
- Sheepskin Leather
- Alpaca Skin Leather
- Cashmere Goat Leather
- Angora Leather
- Bison Leather
Guilds, world bosses, and combat identity
Next week’s focus is guilds, with a strong push toward Guild vs Guild content. The goal is to create more interactive systems so players have meaningful things to do beyond pure gathering while everyone waits for more combat features.
I’ve also been prototyping a world boss event on the test server for a few weeks. With the current state of the game, it feels very possible to bring a first version of that into the live game soon.
Monster and combat design thoughts
A big reason for recent monster balance changes is that I’m still not happy with how combat feels overall. Right now, monsters are too close to a passive leveling method, and I don’t want that to be the game’s identity.
- What I don’t want: Mass farming any monster freely with no friction or decision-making.
- What I’m exploring:
- Systems where you have to hunt down monsters to fight them.
- A task-based or slayer-like system that gates which monsters you can fight.
- Possibly a new system entirely, rather than just another skill.
I’ll be doing a lot of brainstorming on this while working on guilds and will be posting ideas in Discord to gather feedback and refine the direction.
Closing
I hope you all have a wonderful week. I’m really looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback in Discord—especially around guilds, world bosses, and what you want combat to feel like long-term.
